Forest Monitoring News
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Working Together for the Development of Sustainable Forest Management in the Mediterranean Basin
The development and extension of sustainable “Mediterranean forest” management is set to be the focus of a new collaboration between PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, and MENFRI, the Mediterranean Network of Forestry Research and Innovation. At last year’s PEFC Forest Certification Week held in Paris, France, representatives from PEFC ...
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Root hydraulic conductance linked to trees` post-transplant recovery
Survival of field-grown trees grown for transplanting into landscapes depends on many factors, such as transplant timing and tree size. Species-specific characteristics also contribute to trees' ability to withstand and survive environmental stresses. In a newly published study researchers report on the relationship between tree roots' hydraulic conductance -- the roots' ability to take up water ...
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Three new ornamental dogwoods introduced
In the nursery and landscape industries, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), and their hybrids are the most popular and economically significant members of the genus Cornus. The deciduous trees are highly valued for their spring display of pink, red, or white bracts, brilliant red fall foliage, and exfoliating bark. In the United States alone, retail and wholesale ...
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Protecting forests alone would not halt land-use change emissions
Global forest conservation measures meant to mitigate climate change are likely to drive massive cropland expansion into shrublands or savannahs to satisfy the ever-growing hunger for arable land. The consequent changes in land use could cause substantial greenhouse gas emissions, a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change shows. In contrast to previous assumptions, conservation schemes ...
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Stenospermocarpic fruit linked to unmarketable black walnuts
Black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) is native to much of the eastern United States and is highly valued for its nuts and timber. Black walnut fruit generally reach most of their size by mid-August and mature by late September or early October. The fruit are then harvested, hulled, and dried in-shell before cracking for commercial markets. Walnut growers use the term "ambers" to describe poorly ...
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Winners of the 2014 INRA Awards
Five laureates were honoured at the 9th INRA Awards Ceremony for their commitment and findings in such diverse fields as relations between plants and environment, the role of soil microorganisms in the flows of atmospheric carbon or innovative aquaculture. The ceremony took place on 5 November 2014, in the presence of Stéphane Le Foll, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, and ...
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FAO sets standards to improve national forest monitoring systems
FAO has launched free software tools that it hopes will improve the way many developing nations monitor the state of their forests to tackle deforestation and climate change. The tools are designed to assist countries through the entire lifecycle of a forest inventory - from assessment, design and field data collection to analysis and reporting. The governments of Finland and Germany have ...
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Big Data Climate Challenge winners show how big data can drive climate action
The winners of the Big Data Climate Challenge have been announced as part of the buildup to the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit on 23 September at UN Headquarters in New York. The winners include a monitoring system that provides real-time information on forests, and a tool for farmers in Colombia that promotes climate-smart agriculture. The winners will be invited to attend the ...
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Canada puts oil exploitation before forests
Detailed evidence that Canada’s vast natural areas are undergoing major changes because of climate change is produced in a new report by Natural Resources Canada. The government body describes problems with disappearing glaciers, sea level rise, melting permafrost and changing snow and rainfall patterns. One of the country’s most important natural resources, the forests that cover ...
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PEFC Takes Center Stage at Leading European Timber Tradeshow
Early June saw PEFC International take to the stage at Europe’s leading timber tradeshow, Carrefour International du Bois, to discuss PEFC certification and tropical wood. Taking place every two years in Nantes, France, the Carrefour International du Bois brings together over 500 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors from 60 different countries, promoting its 100% wood concept through a dedicated ...
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PEFC Strengthens Presence at European Union Level
In recognition of the significant role that theEuropean Union (EU) is playing in advancing sustainable forest management, PEFC International has appointment Xavier Noyon as its Brussels-based EU Representative to contribute to and engage in processes impacting responsible forestry in the EU. Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC International said ...
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Black Forest Giants captured in 3D
Terrestrial Laser Scanning opens new perspectives into the forest ecosystem, no matter if you want to use it to precisely locate and measure landscape objects or if you want to present the Genius Loci of a Plenterwald with audio-visual effects as demonstrated in this example. http://youtu.be/RhV_T6zYxhk The video clip has been generated from Terrestrial Laser Scanning data of some 150 - 200 ...
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Agdia Releases New Molecular Test for Avocado Sunblotch Viroid
Agdia, Inc. (Elkhart, IN) has commercialized a Nucleic Acid Hybridization Assay for Avocado sunblotch viroid (ASBVd). ASBVd is found in avocado growing regions worldwide. Trees that are infected with ASBVd can result in a loss of yield and / or production of unmarketable fruit. However, symptoms are not always present making pro-active testing a critical disease control measure. Agdia's ...
By Agdia, Inc.
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Australia, New Zealand and Beyond: Towards the Tipping Point on Forest Certification in Asia Pacific
“With the growing momentum in Asia Pacific for the adoption of sustainable forest management practices and PEFC certification, I am looking forward to discussing with stakeholders in Australia and New Zealand how they can best benefit from and support the expansion of PEFC in the region,” said Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest ...
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Terrestrial Laser Scanning to measure forest parameters
In November landConsult completed the second service contract with a national forest adminisitration in eastern Germany. Using a FARO Focus 3D Scanner and a Stonex GNSS more than 5 heactares with thousands of broadleaf trees and conifers have been scanned. All scanned forests are part of a permanent monitoring system to research tree quality and ecological parameters. The 3D modells are stored ...
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African countries agree to curb illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin
Governments from Africa's main timber producing countries, together with timber industry representatives and civil society organizations agreed to jointly combat illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin, FAO said today following an international wood industry meeting in Brazzaville. Covering an area of 300 million hectares, the Congo Basin harbours the world's second largest tropical forest. It ...
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Frankincense tree has not regenerated for the last half century
Frankincense is a resin that is tapped from a dry forest tree in the Horn of Africa, the Arabian peninsula and India. The European market is dominated by frankincense from Ethiopia. But the tree populations are under threat. “We found no frankincense trees younger than half a century”, says Motuma Tolera Feyissa, who defended his PhD thesis on this subject yesterday. Frans Bongers is ...
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Responsible Forestry and CSR – The Business Case
The significance of responsible timber sourcing practices to promote sustainable forest management and combat climate change will be the focus of the keynote speech by Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International Secretary General at the forthcoming World Engineers Summit (WES) in Singapore next week. Sustainable forest management is key to maintaining the forest carbon stock and has been identified as an ...
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Uganda: FAO mapping technologies help fill gaps in forest data
FAO recently introduced new mapping technologies in Uganda that will help the country generate better, more useful forestry statistics and land cover maps. Forests and forest products are important to the livelihoods of many communities in Uganda. The new tools and information will help the government monitor national forest resources and make informed decisions regarding long-term forestry and ...
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New tool to improve assessment of forest biomass and carbon stocks
A new online platform launched by FAO will allow countries to improve the assessment of forest volumes, biomass and carbon stocks. This data is crucial for climate change research and mitigation activities, such as increasing the carbon stock in forests through reforestation, and bioenergy development. The new GlobAllomeTree, jointly developed by FAO, the French Research Centre CIRAD and Tuscia ...
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